A Family Needs a Mother
by WannabeAHLad
Summary: Ushio never inherited Nagisa's mysterious disease and is living happy and healthy. She is now in grade school. One day, Kyou along with Ryou stopped by the Okazaki residence to pay them a visit. Afterwards, Kyou starts to visit Tomoya and Ushio more often, but will she just remain a friend with them, or will the Okazakis start to see her as someone more than just a friend?
1. Chapter 1

a/n: This is a story that just popped into my head when I saw a picture of Tomoya, Kyou, Ryou, and Fuko hanging out in Tomoya's apartment. I had the urge to make a fanfic stemming from that. Just so you know, this is all improvised (but I do have the story planned out for a few more chapters), so I would like to have your opinion on the first chapter. If you think it's moving to fast, or there isn't enough background info, or if anybody seems too ooc, or anything, I'll try to revise it to make it better. Also, I don't understand how to use the Japanese honorifics very much, so if you could give me any advice over that, that would be very much appreciated. Also, I'm not sure about the title (it was the best I could come with right now), so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Tomoya stood at the stove, cooking some food for lunch. Ushio was playing sevens with Fuko. Tomoya would look back at them every now and then to make sure that Fuko wasn't try to run off with Ushio like she usually does. It's been about a year since Tomoya brought Ushio home to live with him, and she is now in her first year of grade school. School is currently out right now for summer break. Tomoya took the food off of the stove once he believed that it had cooked enough, and, as if it were perfectly timed, there was a knock on the door. "Coming!" Tomoya called out as he walked to the door. He opened it up to be greeted by the Fujibayashi twins.

"Hey, Tomoya!" greeted Kyou.

"Hi, Okazaki," greeted Ryou.

Tomoya was a little surprised to see them, but he smiled and returned the greeting. "Hi, Kyou. Hi, Ryou. I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name."

Ryou smiled. "It's fine. As long as I get to call you Tomoya.

"Fine by me. So what brings you two over?"

Kyou replied, "Well, since school is out for summer break right now, I don't have much work to do, and Ryou finally managed to get some time off."

Ryou said, "I heard that you were doing better now, and I wanted to see you since we haven't even talked much in the past five years."

"So, Ryou and I decided to stop by and visit, if it's alright with you."

Tomoya nodded. "Sure. Come on in." Tomoya moved out of the way to let the twins enter his apartment. "I'm actually making some lunch for Ushio and Fuko. I could make some more for you two if you want."

Kyou asked, "Fuko?"

"Oh, yeah. You two haven't met her yet. She's Kouko Yoshino's younger sister who was discharged from the hospital a little over a year ago. She's good friends with Ushio."

"Oh." Kyou and Ryou entered the living room area.

Ushio turned her head to finally see who had entered the apartment, and when she saw Kyou, she got up and ran to Kyou and gave her a hug. "Fujibayashi-sensei! I missed you!"

Kyou pat the young girl on her head. "Hey, Ushio-chan. It's been a while hasn't it."

Ryou said, "So this is Ushio? She looks so much like her mother."

Ushio finally noticed Ryou. She looked back and forth between Kyou and Ryou; this was the first time she met Ryou. "There are two Fuibayashi-senseis?"

Tomoya, who went back to cooking lunch, Kyou, and Ryou all laughed. Ryou said, "No. I'm Fujibayashi-sensei's sister, Ryou Fujibayashi. It's nice to meet you."

Ushio nodded. "Nice to meet you, Fujibayashi-san."

"Your daughter is such a sweet girl, Tomoya."

Fuko finally asked, "You know these people, Ushio?"

Ushio nodded. "Yeah. Fujibayashi-sensei was my kindergarten teacher last year."

Fuko studied Kyou and Ryou for a moment before she bowed her head to them. "Nice to meet you. I am Fuko Ibuki."

"Hi, Fuko. I'm Kyou."

"And I'm Ryou. It's nice to meet you too, Fuko." Ryou noticed the cards that were laying out on the table. "Oh, what game are you two playing?"

Ushio sat back down at the table. "We we're playing Sevens."

Kyou asked, "Do you mind if we join you?"

Ryou interrupted, "Don't you think we should let them finish their current game?"

Ushio said, "It's alright. We didn't get far into the game. I would like to play with you."

Tomoya kept on cooking. He looked back for a moment to see what was going on. Ushio, the Fujibayashis, and Fuko were playing a new game of Sevens. He looked at Ushio, who was having so much fun playing with the other girls. Tomoya smiled as he put his focus back onto cooking lunch. He was glad that Ushio was having fun.

***Clannad***

The day flew by for the people within the Okazaki household. After lunch, Kyou and Ryou started telling Ushio stories about some fun times they spent with Nagisa. Ushio was excited to hear some stories about her mother. After that, Tomoya, Kyou, Ryou, and Fuko all started to play poker. Ushio didn't play because Tomoya said it was supposed to be a "grown ups' game." Tomoya almost decided against it at first, but Ushio said it was fine for them to play without her because she wanted them to have fun too. She spent the entire time they were playing sitting next to Kyou and watching them closely, as if she were trying to grasp the rule of the game. Before they knew it, it was already close to night time.

"Well, I'll be going, Okazaki! Tell Ushio I said bye!" said Fuko as she was leaving the apartment.

Tomoya said, "I will, Fuko. Have a safe trip back home."

Tomoya waved goodbye to Fuko and went back to the living room area where Kyou, Ryou, and Ushio was still at. Ushio was sitting on Kyou's lap, but she was also fast asleep. Kyou smiled as she ran her fingers through the little girl's hair. "She really is a sweet little girl."

Tomoya sat back down at the table. "Yeah. I owe her a lot. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I would've ever gotten out of my depression."

Ryou noticed a look in her sister's eyes, like she was deep in thought. "Kyou?" asked Ryou, "Is everything alright?"

Kyou snapped out of her thoughts. She gave a kind-hearted smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. But hanging out with Ushio like this got me to thinking… I would love to have a child of my own one of these days."

"Kyou…"

"But of course it's still going to take a while. I still have to find a man that I like, and then get married, and then try to have a baby. That will take a long time to do."

Tomoya thought about what Kyou said for a moment. Finally, he said, "You're welcomed to come here anytime to spend time with Ushio, Kyou."

Kyou asked, "Are you sure about that, Tomoya?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'm pretty sure Ushio would like that to. She does seem to be pretty attached to you. Besides, I have a feeling that if it's only me and Ushio most of the time, she might become cynical like a certain someone you two know well."

Kyou sighed. "Well then, I guess I have no choice. I'll just have to keep stopping by from time to time to make sure that that won't happen."

Ryou smiled. "I think she'll grow up to be a kind and good person like Tomoya."

Kyou and Tomoya looked at each other before Kyou asked, "Are we talking about the same Tomoya. You weren't the one who was sent on a wild goose chase at the start of junior year thanks to this guy."

Tomoya chuckled as he recalled that memory. "Hey, I did try to stop Sunohara from getting carried away."

"Yeah, but you didn't try hard enough." Kyou grabbed Ushio and handed her to her father, who held her carefully. "Well, I think it's time for Ryou and I to go."

"Alright." The three of them got up and Tomoya escorted them to the door. "But really though, it would be nice if you could stop by more often. Even though I have Ushio with me, it still gets lonely here."

Kyou asked seriously, "You're not trying to use one of us to replace Nagisa are you?"

Tomoya's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "What?! No! I would never...!" Tomoya stopped there as the twins laughed at him.

"Fujibayashi-sensei." Ushio had just woken up. Her eyes were still half closed, but she also had a big smile on her face. "Come back soon, 'kay?"

Kyou ran her fingers through Ushio's hair. "Alright, Ushio. I'll try to visit you again someday."

And with that, the twins left. Tomoya and Ushio went inside to prepare dinner. While the twins were walking home, Ryou asked, "Hey, Kyou, are you sure it's alright for you to get so close to Ushio like that?"

Kyou looked at Ryou confused. "What do you mean by that, Ryou?"

"It's just that you seem to act motherly around Ushio, and she's already really attached to you. For all we know, if you spend more time with her and get closer to Ushio, she might end up seeing you as her new mother and forget all about Nagisa." Kyou felt a shock running around her entire body. "And I've seen how you act with all of your other students. You don't even act motherly towards them. Only towards Ushio, Tomoya's daughter. Which leads me to ask you this… Are you still in love with Tomoya?"

Kyou stopped walking, her heartbeat increasing, and her cheeks turning a dark shade of red. She looked down at the ground, and her bangs blocked the view of her eyes from her sister. Kyou didn't need to say anything for Ryou to find the answer. "I'm not saying that you should stop seeing Tomoya and Ushio altogether, but be careful about how you act around them. It could eventually cause trouble for both you and him."

Kyou looked at Ryou and the eye. "'Him'?"

"You never know. Even though he has and always will love Nagisa dearly, humans can never live alone. Sure, he has Ushio, but she is only his daughter. Eventually, Tomoya might possibly fall in love with you too, which could cause some tension between him and the Furukawas. There is also the possibility that he won't return your feelings, and things will start to get awkward between you and him."

_"She is right,"_ thought Kyou. _"It would seem that the best thing to do is to avoid Tomoya and Ushio so they don't get any closer and avoid causing trouble. However, Ushio really wants to spend more time with me, and Tomoya said he would like it if I'd stop by more often."_ Kyou sighed as she sat down at a nearby bench and looked up at the darkening sky. Ryou didn't sit down, but she kept close to her sister. Kyou chuckled, and mumbled to herself, "Well, I've gotten myself into a difficult situation, huh?"

"What are you going to do, sis?"

"I…" Kyou kept staring at the sky. Her brain was starting to fry as it was trying to figure out the best possible way to hang out with the Okazakis without causing any trouble. For once in her life, she was stumped. She sat there for another moment not saying anything. She finally finished her sentence with, "don't know."

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><p>an: Alright, so that was the first chapter. If you liked it, or have any constructive criticism for it, please leave a review. Just know that any comments that are just downright rude will be ignored.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here's chapter two, I hope you enjoy. Also, I would like to thank BayonettaMayCryOkami who helped me out with the honorifics, and thanks to Audiece 0f One for the writing tips.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Sweat rolled down the Tomoya's cheeks, his face a little red from the heat that was pounding on him. He hung on the side of a transmission tower located in the middle of a neighborhood, screwing in some bolts and replacing busted wires. Fastening the last bolt he was working on, he used his left arm to wipe some sweat off of his face. His sleeve hung down a little bit, and he could see a bit of a tan line going around his arm a little bit further up from the wrist. After climbing back down, he started packing his supplies and cones back into the van.

Tomoya sat down on the back of his van, figuring that he earned himself a well-deserved break. Yoshino was finishing up some repairs on another transmission tower around the block. Tomoya expected him to be back any minute now.

"Tomoya!" Kyou was walking up to him, carrying what appeared to be a bag of groceries. Smirking, she said. "This is the first time I've seen you at your job. You're not slacking off are you?"

Tomoya scoffed. "Come on, Kyou. You know I'm not like that anymore." She laughed. "But to answer your question, I just finished my job here, and now I'm just waiting for Yoshino to finish up his part right quick, and then we're going to the next site."

"So no vacation for you, then?"

Tomoya picked up a bottle of water that he had sitting on the ground, chugging a huge gulp of water before setting it back down on the ground. "Well, the company has been offering me a week of vacation for the summer, but I've still decided to come in anyway."

Kyou crossed her arms. "Well, you seem to be pretty dedicated to your job."

He chuckled scratching the back of his head. "It's not as much dedication as it's mostly that I am raising money for a college fund for Ushio, so when the time comes, she can get into any college she wants."

She gave him a huge smile. "Wow, you are such a caring father. If you keep that up, it'll just ruin that delinquent image I've had of you since high school."

"Well now, I guess I have to be more careful. I've worked hard to craft that image of myself inside of peoples' minds." Tomoya made a face that looked like he was giving something some serious though. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's completely wrong. I didn't work at all."

"You got that right." Kyou still couldn't decide if she should hang out with Tomoya more, or if she should keep her distance. She was trying to decide what to do, but her body started to act independently all of a sudden. "Hey Tomoya, may I come have dinner with you and Ushio tonight."

_"What am I doing?!"_ She screamed at herself in her mind.

He replied, "I'm sorry, Kyou, but I already have plans with Sanae and the Old Man. We're going to go out for dinner tonight. They said that they wanted to go out and have a nice dinner with me and Ushio as a family since we haven't done that much."

"Oh." Kyou made a face of disappointment, but on the inside, she was a bit relieved because now there was a reason she couldn't have dinner with Tomoya and not cause any trouble between them.

"How about tomorrow though? Do you think you can make it over tomorrow?"

Kyou was internally screaming. It was like the universe was trying to screw with her. She can't become too close to Tomoya and Ushio. Her mind was racing to find an excuse not to go tomorrow, but before she could come up with an excuse, she uncontrollably answered, "Sure."

_"Goddammit, Kyou… Can't you control your actions?"_ she thought to herself.

"Alright. Do you have any requests for dinner then?"

Since there was no way to work her way out of the mess she's gotten herself in, she decided to go with it. Putting her finger to her chin, she thought about what she would like to eat. "Do you think you can make some oyakodon?"

Tomoya's eyes widened up. Wasn't expecting that. "Umm… I've never made oyakodon before… I could try to make it. I can't guarantee that it'll come out good, though."

Kyou laughed. "Well, why don't you make a backup dish for when you screw up the oyakodon?"

Tomoya clutched his chest. He said a bit sarcastically. "I'm hurt that you think that I'd screw up the oyakodon!" Kyou laughed again. "I'll have you know I was a fast learner when it came to cooking. You never know, I might just pull off preparing the meal."

"Okazaki," called Yoshino, walking up to the van. He started to pack his supplies away in the back. "Hello, Fujibayashi. Long time, no see. How have you been?"

Kyou replied, "I've been good. How about you, Yoshino-san?"

"I've been good as well." After packing the last of his supplies back into the van, he shut the doors to the van and turned to face Kyou. "I'm sorry that we can't catch up, Fujibayashi, but Okazaki and I have to head over to our next site."

"Alright. Work hard, Yoshino."

"Thanks." Yoshino walked to the front of the van and got into the driver's seat.

Tomoya said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. See ya."

"Bye, Tomoya." He got into the van with Yoshino and they drove off.

Once they were gone, Kyou let out a sigh, and kicked a small rock that was close by. She had mixed feelings stirring around inside of her; it was really starting to annoy her. She was happy that she's going to get to spend time with Tomoya and Ushio, but at the same time she was disappointed in herself for not trying to keep her distance. Things would get troublesome if he started to fall for her, or if she let her old feelings get the best of her again. "Welp… I'm screwed," she said to herself. "So much for keeping my distance."

Kyou started to head back home. _"From this point forward. I'm not going to think too much about this situation. I'm just going to do what I want, and whatever happens happens."_

***Clannad***

"Knock, knock!" Tomoya entered the Furukawa's living room, where Sanae, Akio, and Ushio were already waiting for him. All of them were wearing formal clothes for dinner tonight. Tomoya had rushed home right after work, taking a quick shower and changing into some nice clothes before coming to the Furukawa's household.

"Daddy!" Ushio ran to her father, giving him a hug. She was wearing a pretty little dress, one that Sanae claims that Nagisa used to wear while she was little.

"Hey, Ushio. We're you a good girl for Sanae and Akki?"

"Yep!"

Turning to the Furukawas, He asked, "So, are you ready to go?"

Standing up, Akio replied, "You bet, Kid. We've actually been sitting here for quite a while, waiting for you to show up."

Getting up as well, Sanae said, "Oh, stop, Akio. We actually just finished getting ready ourselves. We weren't waiting for you any more than a couple of minutes."

Holding on to his daughter's hand and leading the family out of the house, Tomoya said, "Well, let's get going then."

The place they had chosen to dine was at a restaurant called Sebastian and Tanaka, a restaurant well known for their donburi dishes. Sitting at their table, the happy family browsed through the selection of food on the menu. Noticing that oyakodon was on the menu, Tomoya considered ordering the dish to see what it would taste like, but he was having some with Kyou tomorrow. He thought it would feel wrong to eat some for dinner tonight before eating it with her for dinner tomorrow.

After ordering their dinner, Akio started to discuss some plans with Tomoya. "So, Tomoya, are you able to take some time off from work?"

Nodding, Tomoya replied, "I have a week's worth of vacation time that I still have yet to use."

His father-in-law smiled. "Well then, I want you to take the entire next week off, because we are all going to the beach next week!"

Ushio cheered at Akio's announcement. Sanae, clapping her hands together, asked, "Are you excited about going to the beach, Ushio-chan?"

Smiling, Ushio replied, "Yes!"

Sighing, Tomoya said, "Well, I guess I have no choice other than to take next week off, huh?"

"You're damn right," said Akio. "However, if you still want to work, you could just leave Ushio-chan with Akki and Sanae and we'll just go to the beach."

"I don't think so. I'm coming with you."

"What? Don't you trust Ushio's grandparents to take good care of her?"

"It's not that. I'm just not going to let you have all of the fun to yourselves."

Sanae said, "Well, it's settled then. We're all going to the beach!"

Both Akio and Ushio cheered in excitement. Noticing that some of Akio's personality being reflected in Ushio, the girl's father began to wonder if whether or not it was a mistake to have left her with the crazy Old Man for the first five years of her life.

The crazy duo's excitement didn't go unnoticed, disrupting a majority of the other customers' night. A waiter even scolded them to keep the volume down. Once the waiter was out of sight, the family laughed, quietly of course.

***Clannad***

Tomoya and Yoshino sat at a table in the middle of a park with Ushio, Kouko, and Fuko, spending their lunch break with them. Today, Tomoya had dropped his daughter off at the Yoshino residence to hang out with Kouko and Fuko, and when it came close for electricians to get off for lunch break, the girls prepared some bento boxes for them. So here they are now.

The younger electrician's mind was suddenly drawn towards the dinner plans he had with his daughter and his friend later tonight. Realizing how little he knows about making oyakodon, he spoke up. "Hey, Kouko-san, have you ever made any oyakodon before?"

Nodding, Kouko replied, "Yes. It's one of my best dishes."

Making a face that seemed almost blissful, Yoshino commented, "It's one of the most delicious dishes I have ever tasted."

Feeling relieved, Tomoya asked, "Can you give me some advice about making it then?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Kyou Fujibayashi is coming to have dinner with Ushio and I for dinner tonight, and she requested oyakodon, a dish that I have no experience with cooking."

As the younger electrician just took a bite of his lunch, the older electrician asked with interest, "Oh, you're not dating, are you Okazaki?"

Tomoya started to gag on his food and coughed. Upon swallowing the food and regaining his breath, his face turned a shade of red, and he rapidly shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no! She's just a friend of mine! She just asked if she could come over for dinner, and I just couldn't say no. Besides, Nagisa is the one woman for me."

"Sounds like someone wants to be a bit more than friends," Yoshino muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Hmm? Nothing." After taking a quick drink, he added, "But really though, Okazaki, I don't think anybody would be surprised if you were to move on."

Confused, Tomoya asked, "What are you saying?"

"Nagisa may be the woman you love more than anyone else in the world, but that doesn't mean that she is the only woman you'd ever love."

The young father couldn't find anything to say. Kouko, sensing that the conversation was turning to a more serious topic, said to Fuko, "Hey, Fu-chan, why don't you and Ushio-chan go play for a while?"

Fuko said, "Alright." She got up from her seat, grabbing Ushio's hand. "Come on, Ushio-chan. Let's go play."

"Alright," replied the six-year-old, running off with her friend.

"Okazaki, humans can't live alone, that's fact. Whenever one finds themselves alone, there is nothing they want more than to have someone around that they can be with."

Tomoya said, "But I'm not alone. I have Ushio."

Yoshino nodded. "Yes, but only for around another 12 years. What are you going to do when she grows up, goes to college, get a job, moves out and gets a life of her own?" Tomoya felt as if his heart was just pierced by a bullet. "What will you do when she leaves and you are on your own again?"

Kouko said, "Yusuke has a point, Okazaki-san."

Tomoya looked down at his lunch, his brain attempting to process the conversation. "It's just… I feel like I'd be betraying Nagisa if I started to see someone else."

"It wouldn't be a betrayal as long as you remember her, as long as you cherish all of the memories you have of her. Besides, do you really think Nagisa would want you to be alone like that? She would be sad if you were all alone and lonely. A wife would want her husband to be happy."

Looking up at the sky, the widower carefully thought about what the married couple had said to him. After a moment's thought, he said, "I guess you two do have a point." And silently they sat.

Realizing that their lunch break would end in a few moments, Tomoya asked, "So, about that oyakodon…"

Mrs. Yoshino clapped her hands together. "Oh, right. You see, the to make a good oyakodon…"

***Clannad***

Hands holding on to each other, father and daughter walked back to the apartment they called home. The daughter happily skipped along, while the father was lost in thought. He looked at his daughter, recalling what his friend had said to him. He didn't feel lonely now because he had her with him, but he knew that one day she'll be all grown up and go out into the world and he'll be all by himself again. What would he do with himself then?

The daughter looked at her father and wondered if something was wrong with him. "Daddy," she called out, "are you alright?"

The girl's daddy snapped out of his thoughts. Smiling gently, he said, "Oh, it's nothing, Ushio. Daddy was just thinking about a grown-up conversation he had with the Yoshinos earlier. You don't need to worry about it."

"Ok."

He looked up at the sky.

_"Whenever one finds themselves alone, there is nothing they want more than to have someone around that they can be with."_

Those words spoken by his friend brings one question to Tomoya's mind: _"Am I capable of loving another woman?"_

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><p>an: I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and if you did, a review or constructive criticism is always appreciated. Also, even though I know what I am going to do with the stories, if you have any suggestions about what you think should happen in this story, feel free to let me know and I might use it in the story.

Note: Oyakodon is a popular donburi dish in Japan, also known as the Mother and Child Donburi. It is well known for the use of chicken and eggs as ingredients, on rare occasions oyakodon is made with salmon ikura, or salmon eggs.

P.S. Kudos to anyone who got a reference I slipped into this chapter. XD


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: Alright, here's chapter 3. I was wanting to get this uploaded a few days ago, but I got sick so I didn't really feel like working on it. Anyway, a little something about this chapter. Starting with this chapter, the Illusionary World have an appearance every now and then. Just so you know, as of right now, I don't plan for anything unfortunate and tragic to happen to anyone in this story here. However, since the Illusionary World is a big part of the entire Clannad series, so I thought it would be nice to include it in the story. However, it won't have any effect on the real world; it'll probably mostly be a reflection of what happens in the real world though.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Enjoy the chapter.

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><p>Ringing across the apartment was the sound of bubbles popping as the caring father started to boil some rice that he had just rinsed off. This was the biggest trial he felt he had faced in a while; a challenge to see if he could make a delicious meal for the first time for the friend that was coming for a visit. Recalling the cooking tips that Kouko gave him earlier, he reduced the heat for the pot boiling the rice and covered it up, allowing the rice to simmer, and then he got to work with cooking the chicken.<p>

The sweet daughter that he lived with sat at the table, using some oil pastels to create a beautiful piece of art. Her father always remarked on how good her artworks were good, despite the fact that she was a six-year-old. Upon hearing a knock and knowing that her daddy was too busy to answer, Ushio called out, "Coming!" Getting up from her spot, she opened the door to greet Kyou Fujibayashi.

"Fujibayashi-sensei!" The young girl gave her former teacher a hug.

"Hey, Ushio-chan!" With the scent of chicken cooking entering her nose, Kyou walked in asking, "So, Tomoya, how is the oyakodon coming out?"

Looking away from the food, Tomoya said, "Hey, Kyou. I think it's going out good. Thankfully, Kouko-san had given me some tips for making oyakodon. However I wasn't expecting you to come in so early." He went back to focusing on his cooking.

She smiled a little awkwardly. "Yeah, but we didn't set up a specific time for me to come in, so I decided to try coming around this time."

"You know you could've called."

"Right… I didn't think about doing that," she said a little embarrassed.

"Geez. And you call yourself a teacher? I wonder if Ushio really received a good education from you last year."

"Shut up!"

Ushio shouted, "Hey! Fujibayashi-sensei's a great teacher!"

He laughed. "Alright, Ushio. If you say so." Tomoya took some slices of onion and dropped it in the pan with the chicken, starting to stir them around together. "This might take another half hour, Kyou, so make yourself comfortable in the meantime."

"Alright."

The two girls took a seat at the table. The elder one asked, "So, Ushio-chan, is there anything you want Fujibayashi-sensei to tell you about."

The young girl put her finger to her chin, contemplating what she would like her elder to tell her about. "Oh! I know!" she shouted excitedly. "Can you tell me about the story of the play that Mommy preformed in high school?"

Fujibayashi was shocked. "What? I'm surprised you don't know about it. I would've thought that your daddy would have told you by now."

With the pace he was cooking at slowing down, Tomoya said with shame, "I'm afraid I can't remember the story of the play. It's all just a big blur to me at this point."

"How could you forget about that? We worked so hard on that play."

"I don't know. One day, I couldn't recall it at all for some reason. Whenever I try to remember it, I get the feeling that I am waking up from a dream that you can't remember. I haven't asked anyone to remind me about the play because I'm ashamed that I've forgotten it."

She sighed. Turning to Ushio, she said enthusiastically, "Alright, Ushio-chan. I'm going to tell you the story to your Mommy's play. And Daddy, you better pay close attention as you cook, 'cause I don't want you to forget again."

In unison, father and daughter answered, "Right!"

Smiling, the teacher started to tell the story. "The story takes place in a world that has ended. Nothing is ever born and nothing ever dies in that world. There is no sign of life around for miles, with the exception of a young girl…"

***Clannad***

_Using all of the strength she had, a girl with the help of her mechanical doll walked across the once grassy plains that is now covered in snow. They have gone through a long time living in the cold. The girl is surprised that she managed to last so long. As she walked on, the girl could feel every step she walked become easier; the cold that had eaten away at her for so long is slowly being replaced by warmth._

_ She smiled. Her robotic friend looked up at her, probably out of curiosity, or maybe he was just happy to see his friend smile for the first time in a while. Looking down at her friend, she explained, "It's getting warmer. Winter is coming to an end, and spring is about to begin."_

_ The two continued to walk on for miles. After what had felt like an eternity, they returned to the grassy plain that surrounded the little shack the girl has known as her home her entire life. The robotic doll dropped to its knees. He was clearly disappointed. To have gone through such a long journey, with his friend pushing herself so hard to go through with it, only to end up back at the starting point, it was so upsetting._

_ "I've had my suspicions, but I needed to see it for myself," she said inquisitively. "This world appears to be enormous, like it could just go on forever, but it has always felt so small. I've wondered that if one were to wander out far away from this area if they would find someplace new to explore, or if they would end up right back here. I guess we know now, huh?"_

_ The doll remain motionless, the only sign of it still alive being a piece of metal on the side of its head spinning occasionally. The girl looked around, noticing something strange. She walked over to a piece of land that has been recently dug up. "Something's been here." Getting up from its knees, the doll ran over, excited to hear that something else may be here. Finding the hole in the ground, the doll rapidly looked around. The girl pointed towards the contraption that they were previously working on to get them to fly._

_ Next to the flying machine was another doll; however it was colored purple unlike the green one that was wondering around with the girl. It was the doll that the green doll and the girl tried to build together. The purple doll was placing parts onto the machine when the two arrived. When it finally noticed them, it started to jump enthusiastically, waving its arms in the air._

_ The girl giggled. "I guess she's happy to see us." She wasn't sure if the personalities controlling the dolls have gender, but she gets a sense of femininity from the purple doll and sense of masculinity from the green one._

_ The green doll ran towards the purple doll. The purple one stopped jumping and started to wave at the green one. When he finally reached her, they stood there, motionless but studying each other. The green one finally held out his hand. The purple one looked down at the hand then back up at the other doll's face. He motioned its head slowly like a nod. She grabbed his hand. They've formed a handshake._

_ As the girl watched them from afar, she felt a familiar sensation. It was as if that in the past or perhaps in the distant future in another world, these two dolls must have known each other. The two people they once were must have been close to each other for both of them to have made it to this very world together._

_ While the scene before her appears to be two people getting acquainted for the first time, she wants to help them rekindle their old relationship, to help them return to the way they used to be in the world that have once lived in. The two dolls looked back and forth between themselves and the flying machine, occasionally pointing at it, as if they were attempting to have a conversation about it. The girl approached them, with the two of them now facing her, she asked, "Do you two really want to fly that much?"_

_ The both of them nodded._

_ Getting down on her knees and placing her hands on their shoulders. "With winter nearly over, I have all of the time in the world now." She took her hands off their shoulders and placed them over her heart. "I promise from the very bottom of my heart I will help you two fly." The girl's only wish came true when the first friend she built came to life, and now she's going to do everything in her power to make her friends' wish come true._

***Clannad***

"Wow. That sounds like such a beautiful play," stated Ushio. "I wish I could've seen it."

Kyou said, "From what I've heard, Akki had always been a doting parent, I'm surprised he didn't bring a camera to film the play."

Tomoya was shocked; sweat was rolling down his face. He completely remembered the play now, but something about the story was digging under his skin. It felt so familiar, like he had a dream about it, but for some inexplicable reason it feels so real. He was doing his best not to show that this story was messing with him so the girls wouldn't start to worry.

After a few minutes of cooking, he called out, "Dinner's almost ready. Wash your hands and get the table cleared off."

"Ok, Dad-dy," Kyou teased as she and Ushio got up to get ready cleaned off.

After scooping the oyakodon into three different bowls and pouring drink for the three of them, the man and the two girls sat at the table, ready to devour the meal that he had worked hard to prepare.

"Itadakimasu," they all recited in unison.

Breaking apart her pair of chopsticks, his friend said, "Alright, Tomoya. Let's see if you really are good at cooking as you proclaim." Sticking her chopsticks into the oyakodon, she pulled out a good bit of it and placed it in her mouth. She made a face of delight as she chewed before swallowing. "Wow, this is good. This isn't the best that I have ever tasted, but it's still pretty good. Are you sure you never cooked this before?"

He laughed. "Yes, I'm sure, Kyou."

She looked at the younger girl skeptically. "Ushio-chan, your daddy wouldn't happen to be lying to me, would he?"

Ushio shook her head. "Nope. Daddy never lies."

Kyou said rather disappointedly, "Obviously you don't know your father well yet?"

"Hey, now don't you go filling my poor child's head with lies," said Tomoya.

"Oh, come on, Tomoya…"

Getting close to her, Tomoya whispered in her ear, "Unless you want me to seriously tell her that you used to be violent in high school, don't tell her that I used to lie a lot in high school."

"Fine," she whispered back.

Pulling back with a smirk on his face, he crossed his arms in triumph.

***Clannad***

"Oh, man, that was good, Tomoya," Kyou cried happily, rubbing her tummy to symbolize a satisfying dinner.

Ushio stated, "Yeah, it was really good, Daddy."

"I'm glad you two liked it," Tomoya replied, placing the dishes into the sink. "By the way, Kyou, Ushio and I won't be here at all next week."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Kyou, almost crying it out, but held herself back, trying not to sound too upset about it.

"We are going with the Furukawas to the beach next week."

"Oh, the beach! Are you excited about that, Ushio-chan?" she asked the girl with excitement.

The daughter nodded. "Yep!"

THUD! There was a booming noise emitting from the front door.

The little girl grabbed onto her former teacher. "What was that, Daddy?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I'll go check it out." He headed towards the front door.

Ushio grabbed onto Kyou tighter, clearly wanting comfort from the scary noise. The elder girl pat the younger one on her head again, smiling comfortingly. "Don't worry," she whispered into the girl's ear gently. "Whatever it is, your daddy will take care of it."

They could hear the sound of the front door opening.

"GOU!"

"AGGGGHHHH!"

Bop! Bop! Bop! Bop! Bop!

A giant boar charged into the room.

"Nabe?!"

"Botan?!"

Walking up to Kyou, the giant boar, Botan, started to snuggle her head against her owner's arm. "Gou!" it cried happily.

The boar's owner sighed. "Botan, you can't break out of the house to come find me like you used to. You're too big now. You'll attract too much attention."

The little girl searched around the apartment. "Where's Daddy?" she asked worryingly.

Getting up, the two girls checked out the front door. At the opened entrance laid Tomoya flat on the ground, left foot twitching, and footprints stamped into his body. A groan of pain is what told the girls that he was still alive. Pointing at her hurt friend, Kyou scolded, "That's another reason you can't come searching for me anymore, Botan."

"Gou," said the boar sadly. She made a sad face as she rubbed her head against her owner's leg, as if she were trying to apologize.

"Ugh…" groaned Tomoya.

***Clannad***

"Well, I guess I better get going. I need to get my silly boar back home," said Kyou. She respectfully bowed her head to her hosts.

It was dark out now. The area was only lit up through traffic lights and the light emitted from the windows of people's houses. The teacher and her pet boar stood outside the door of her friend's apartment. The Okazakis were at the door to see them off.

Tomoya, who was wearing cartoonish bandages, said, "Alright, then. Have a safe trip back home. And remember, you're welcome to come visit anytime you like. Botan too, as long as she behaves herself. Don't feel the need to fish for an invitation in the future."

"Fujibayashi-sensei," Ushio called out. "Come back soon."

Smiling, she said, "I will, Ushio-chan. You'll be back the Sunday before school starts back up, so I'll come visit on that day."

The girl smiled too. "I'll look forward to that."

"Well, see you, Ushio-chan. Daddy."

"Good bye," said father and daughter in unison, and with that, Fujibayashi and her boar left.

On her way back home, Kyou asked her pet boar, "Botan, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? Visiting the Okazakis like this?"

"Gou," replied the boar. Even though that was the only thing she could say, the way she said it had a tone of reassurance.

Smiling, she pet her boar. Even though this really didn't tell her anything, the reassuring tone from her beloved pet helped put her mind at ease for the time being. "Thank you, Botan."


End file.
